The Trials Of Motherhood
by boop-oop-ee-doo
Summary: Willow's Child series. While Xander & Anya prepare to welcome twins, Buffy & Faith think it might be time to start their own family. Meanwhile, Willow & Tara face their worst nightmare when their daughters are abducted by an old enemy.
1. Party Plans

AN: Okay, here's the first chapter of 'The Trials of Motherhood'. Four years have passed since the end of 'Promises', so Sophie is 9, Lily is 5, and Jesse is 4. I will continue to update 'Scooby Family Snapshots' to fill in the gap between them. Enjoy!

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><p>"Balloons?" said Anya, consulting a list.<p>

"Check" Xander replied.

"Streamers?"

"Check."

"Party favors?"

"Check."

"Snacks?"

"Check."

"Cake?"

"Uh.. Almost check."

"Almost?" Anya yelped. "What do you mean _almost_ Xander?"

"You asked Tara to make the cake" Xander reminded her. "She's bringing it over Tomorrow." Two years previously, Xander and Anya had conveniently managed to buy a house in the same street as the other Scoobies (minus Dawn and Connor, who had moved out into their own apartment), meaning Tara now lived just up the road. This comforted Anya, but not for long.

"Okay.. but what if something happens? She could get attacked by a bunny on the way here, and the cake could be destroyed.."

"Living near a Hellmouth, and you still jump to a bunny attack as the most likely cause of trouble" Xander chuckled.

"It's not funny!" Anya snapped, slapping his arm before sighing. "Jesse's four. Our firstborn tiny human is turning four years old tommorow, Xander."

"He's not so tiny anymore" Xander smirked.

"Excactly!" cried Anya, throwing her hands in the air. "This is the first birthday that he's really, really, going to be able to remember, and now we know, the last one he's going to be an only child for. I still blame you for that, by the way." A few days earlier, Anya had discovered that she was carrying their second child, concieved one night on their recent honeymoon when they got a little carried away and had forgotten to use protection.

"Hey, that wasn't all my fault!" cried Xander defensively. "Besides, it'll be nice for Jesse to have a new little brother or sister to play with."

"I know" Anya sighed, "But I still want his party to be special for him.."

"It will be" Xander smiled, pulling her into a hug.

"What's gonna be special Daddy?" said a sleepy voice from behind them. They turned to see their son, Jesse Alexander Harris, brown eyes drooping and dark hair messy from bed, standing there in his Snoopy pyjamas and clutching a well-loved stuffed yellow dog which he had named Spike, after his favourite Uncle. While Xander wasn't entirely happy with the bond those two shared, he could see that the former Big Bad truly cared about Jesse, his 'Little Rebel', and he couldn't in good conscience keep them apart.

"Hey, little man" he smirked. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"I had a nightmare" Jesse replied.

"Oh, my poor little human!" Anya cried, scooping him into her arms. Xander bit back a warning to be careful, not having told their son or anybody else their baby news yet. "Was it bunnies?"

"No, not this time" The little boy shook his head. While not afraid of bunnies to quite the extent his Mother was, they still unnerved him, Jesse being of the belief that anything that scared his Mommy that much couldn't be good. "I dreamed that scary people took Lily away.."

"Don't worry about Lily, buddy" said Xander, taking him from Anya's arms. "You'll see her at your party tomorrow. Now, let's get you back to bed."

"Okay Daddy.." Jesse yawned.


	2. Wake Up Call

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

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><p>"M-Mommy Willow, M-Mama Tara!" cried the five year old Lily Anya Rosenberg, running into the room and jumping onto their bed. "Wake up, wake up!"<p>

"Five more minutes" Willow mumbled sleepily, while Tara smirked.

"B-But Jesse's p-party is today!" When worried or over excited, Lily tended to adopt Tara's old stutter. "We h-have to b-bake the cake!"

"Lily!" Sophie, now nine years old, frowned as she raced in after her little sister, "I told you not to wake them up yet!"

"It's okay, Sweetie" Tara sat up, yawning. "We're getting up now, aren't we Will?"

"I guess" Willow sighed, stretching.

"Take Lily downstairs and wait for us, okay Soph?"

"Okay, Mama Tara."

"And Lily don't wake up anybody else, just be good and stay with your sister until Mommy Willow and I come down."

"Okay, Mama Tara" Lily echoed.

Sophie took Lily's hand and lead her out of the room, intending to take her downstairs as Tara asked, but her little sister had other ideas, squirming out of her grip and taking off down the hall towards their Aunt's room.

"Lily! Lily, get back here!"

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><p>Unaware of the little ball of energy about to burst in and disrupt their sleep, Faith, her arms locked securely around Buffy's waist, continued dreaming, a dream that made her happy, but slightly frightened at the same time..<p>

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><p><em>Faith heard what she thought was a baby crying, followed by Buffy's voice whispering words of comfort. She got out of bed and headed down the hall to investigate, finding a room painted all in powder-pink. Faith felt somewhat out of place around so much pink, but entered anyway. The room was filled with little plush toys (mostly pink), a cot, and what Faith thought was a baby changing table. Buffy sat in a rocking chair with her back to Faith, cradling a blanket-swaddled (also pink) bundle. Faith cleared her throat, and Buffy smiled at her, then stood and turned to offer Faith the bundle..<em>

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><p>"Auntie Buffy, Auntie Faith!"<p>

Echo, sleeping at the end of the bed, leapt to attention, but whined plaintively and lay back down when he realised it was only Lily.

"Huh? Wha'?.. Oh, Morning Lily" Buffy yawned.

"Mornin' Lilypad" Faith sighed, not sure whether she was relieved or annoyed that her dream had been cut short. "What's with the early wake up call?"

"Jesse's B-Birthday Party is today, we all g-gots to get ready!"

"Oh, right.. Yeah, we'll get ready."

"Good!" Lily grinned, racing out of the room.

"Lily!" yelled Sophie's voice, annoyed. Her little sister had disappeared from view, so Sophie decided to stop and catch her breath. Unlike Lily, who had been not quite One at the time, Sophie remembered the other special occasion this day marked, and also paused at her Aunt's door.

"Good Morning Auntie Buffy, Good Morning Auntie Faith. Happy Anniversary!"

"Thanks, Little Red" Faith smiled. Sophie, apart from the couple themselves, was always the first to remember them today. It seemed quite fitting really, considering that Sophie's arrival in the Scoobies' lives was one of the catalysts that helped Buffy and Faith's relationship to begin.

"Sorry Lily woke you up."

"That's okay" said Buffy, rubbing sleep from her eyes. "Waking people up really early or really late is just what kids do."

Faith suddenly remembered her dream, and found herself wondering what time it had been.

"I don't" Sophie frowned.

"That's because you, Sophie, are one of a kind" Buffy chuckled.

And she was. Sophie was 'an old soul' as Tara usually put it. She was as sweet and innocent as any regular child her age, but held a wisdom and understanding of the world far beyond her years, which she proved with her next sentence.

"Everybody's one of a kind really." Before either Buffy or Faith could reply, they heard a girlish shriek from a few doors down. "Lily!" Sophie frowned as she rushed off to try and end her little sister's reign of terror, "No jumping on Uncle Andrew!"


	3. Off To The Party

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

AN: I really need some more opinions on whether I should Buffy-fy 'The Little Mermaid 2' at some point in the future. I need to know before I can write the next chap of 'The Little Merwitch' as it will affect my casting. Right now, I only have one vote either way.

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><p>Tara, now dressed and ready for the day, was heading downstairs to stop the chaos her daughter had been causing when a familiar arm pulled her back.<p>

"Where do you think you're going?" Willow grinned cheekily, leaning in to capture Tara's lips with her own. "We haven't had our morning smoochies yet.."

Tara couldn't help smiling into the kiss. After six years of Marriage, Willow-kisses still gave her happy tingles every time. Which was fine, until said Willow-kisses began to travel down her neck.

"Willow!"

"Sorry" said Willow, smirking as she looked over her Wife's slightly flushed cheeks, and reaching out to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. "Couldn't help it."

"At least try to help it until later" said Tara, "When we don't need to have a cake ready for our nephew's Birthday Party in a few hours, and stop our children from terrorising.."

Willow raised an eyebrow.

"Well, one of our children, from terrorising the house.."

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><p>The witches made their way downstairs and to find Buffy, Faith, and all their current houseguests, ie., The Fang Gang, Andrew, and Giles, awake, courtesy of Lily, who now zipped excitedly around the room informing the still-sleepy group of all the party games Jesse had told her they'd be playing. Lorne, to whom Lily had designated the role of her favourite Uncle sometime after his return to the Hyperion, tried to pay attention to what the little girl was saying, but his eyes kept drifting shut.<p>

Sophie, who had found a place in Giles' lap, turned somewhat apologetically to her Mothers.

"Sorry, Mommies" she frowned. "I tried to stop her.."

"She did" Giles yawned. "But young Lily is very persistent.."

"She is" said Tara sternly, turning her attention to her youngest daughter. Lily, still bouncing around the room, froze. "You were supposed to wait downstairs quietly with your sister."

"I know. I'm sorry, Mama Tara, but I'm just so excited!" She flashed a cheeky grin identical to the one Tara had seen on someone else she loved just a few minutes earlier, her also identical emerald green eyes twinkling with mischief.

Tara sighed, scooping Lily into her arms. She could never stay mad at her little Willow-clone. And everybody would have had to get up soon-ish anyway to meet with the 'Jesse's Super-Cool Birthday Party With No Bunnies Anywhere' schedule that Anya had written out for them.

"Okay. What type of cake did the Birthday Boy order?"

"Chocolate!"

"Of course" Tara chuckled.

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><p>"Hurry, hurry, go man, go!" Yelled Spike, he and Angel leading the charge down the street to Xander and Anya's house, jackets pulled over their heads to shield themselves from the worst of the Sun. Angel frantically pounded the doorbell. A grinning Xander opened it.<p>

"Welcome to.."

He was cut off, almost being bowled over by Angel and and Spike as they burst in, quickly finding a curtained room in which to escape the Sun's rays. Illyria quickly joined them to beat out Spike's few stray flames, while Lorne tended to Angel's, one of the many reasons the elder vamp was happy that the demon had returned to them.

Lily rushed inside to search for her best friend.

"As I was saying" Xander cleared his throat, addressing the rest of the crowd at his door before waving them inside, "Welcome to Jesse's Super-Cool Birthday Party!"

"With No Bunnies anywhere!" added a familiar voice from elsewhere in the House.

"Anya, where do you want the cake?" Tara called out to her friend, chuckling.

"Here, in the Kitchen!" said Anya, poking her head around the doorway. Tara chuckled again before heading in.

After making sure all his flames were out, and checking that none of them had damaged the parcel tucked under his arm, Spike began to look around expectantly.

"Okay, where's my Little Rebel?"

"Uncle Spike!" Jesse cried excitedly, emerging from upstairs with Lily, and running into his favourite Uncle's waiting arms. The little boy was already wearing a party hat, and a badge reading '4 Today!' was proudly displayed on his shirt. "Here I am, Uncle Spike!"

"Whoa, what are they feeding you?" Spike laughed. "You must have shot up at least five inches since the last time I saw you!"

"Then how come Auntie Anya still calls him tiny?" asked Lily. Jesse glared at his friend, then turned back to his Uncle, puffing his chest out proudly.

"Daddy says I'm a big boy now!"

"'Cause he finally stopped wetting the be.." Sophie clapped a hand over her little sister's mouth.

"That you are, Rebel" Spike set Jesse down, ignoring Lily's words so as not to upset him. "That's why I got you a nice big boy present. Had it made special. Here ya go."

Jesse ripped open the present, finding a four-year old sized leather duster identical to Spike's.

"Wow!"

"Now you can be just like your Ol' Uncle Spike."

"Did you hear that, Daddy?" said Jesse excitedly as he slipped it on. "I'll be just like Uncle Spike!"

"Yeah, great" said Xander sarcastically.

Jesse, too young to understand sarcasm (Sophie could at that age, but that may have been due to constant exposure to Faith), just grinned.


	4. Baby Talk

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

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><p>"Do we really have to wear these things?" Faith asked as Anya handed out party hats to everyone, frowning at the pink pom-pom atop her purple one.<p>

"Yes" said Anya.

"Why?"

"These pointed hats are a long held tradition in the Birthday celebrations of small humans" said Illyria, already wearing the green and gold striped hat that seemed glaringly out of place atop her blue hair.

"Yeah, what she said" Anya smirked.

Faith looked at her pink and purple hat again, grumbling, then shared a look with Buffy, who had a black and silver one. They wordlessly switched.

A few minutes later, there came a knock at the door.

"You're late!" Anya snapped, when she opened it to reveal Dawn and Connor.

"Sorry" Connor began, "Dawn just took a really long time to.."

"Forget the excuses, just put these on!" said Anya, thrusting a party hat into each of their hands.

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><p>And so, the Party continued like most young children's parties did. They played party games, most of which Jesse won, he opened the rest of his presents, and finally, they sang 'Happy Birthday' and ate the cake. Afterwards, Xander and Anya, deciding it was time, declared that they had an announcement to make. Sophie went to fetch Jesse and Lily, who had wandered off upstairs.<p>

"I'm g-gonna get you Spike!" she heard her little sister yell from behind Jesse's bedroom door, accompanied by the sound of running feet.

"No, I'm gonna gets you, Slayer!" Jesse yelled back. Sophie pushed the door open, smirking.

The children froze. Lily hid her toilet roll stake behind her back, and a set of plastic fangs dropped from Jesse's mouth.

"We w-wasn't playing fighting games and r-running in the house" said Lily quickly.

"Nope, we wasn't" Jesse added. They looked at each other, then dropped to their knees, pleading.

"Please don't tell!"

"Well.. Okay" Sophie giggled. "I can't tattle on Jesse on his Birthday, can I? Now come on, Uncle Xander and Auntie Anya want to tell us all something.."

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><p>The children rejoined the group downstairs, Jesse and Lily sitting on the carpet, and Sophie climbing onto Giles' lap, wanting to make the most of her remaining Grandpa time before he returned to England in a few days.<p>

"Well, everyone, first off we'd like to thank you all for coming to Jesse's party.." Xander began.

"His Super-cool Party with no bunnies anywhere" Anya added.

"Yeah" Xander chuckled. "But what we really wanted to tell you is.."

"I'm pregnant!" Anya cut him off.

After a few moments of letting the information sink in, the Congratulations began flowing in thick and fast.

"Mommy" Jesse tugged on Anya's skirt, "Pregnant means you're having another baby, doesn't it?"

"Yes" said Anya gently, crouching before her son.

"And that baby's gonna be my little brother or sister.."

"Mmhm."

"So.." Jesse's thought for a moment, before a huge grin spread over his face. "So I'm gonna be a big brother?"

"Yes, tiny human, you are."

"Yay!" Jesse cried, doing a little dance. "I'm gonna be a big brother, I'm gonna be a big brother.."

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><p>Now, Faith was happy for her friends, really, but Xander and Anya's announcement had pushed her dream that Morning right to the front of her mind. She was seeing babies everywhere. Lily's baby pictures on the mantle at home. Women with prams passing by outside. A grinning baby in a Nappy ad on the side of the bus when she and Buffy were on their way to their anniversary dinner.<p>

"Are you okay, baby?" Buffy asked concerned, as they sat waiting for their meals to arrive. "You seem a little off."

"I'm fine" Faith muttered. "Just thinkin'.."

"About what?"

"Well, I had this dream this morning about us with a baby, then There was Xan and Ahn sayin' there havin' another kid, and then I started seein' babies every where and.. I think we should have one. I think we should have a baby."


	5. Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

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><p>Buffy blinked, needing a moment to absorb her wife's words, which had poured from her mouth like one of Willow's more scatterbrained babbles. Even then, she still couldn't quite believe what she'd heard.<p>

"So, what do you think?" Faith asked, fiddling with a napkin.

"Are you serious?"

"Why do you always say that when I ask life altering questions?" Faith frowned.

"Because they're life altering questions!" Buffy cried. "I can't just go 'Okay, let's pop out a kid!' And then find out a few months later when I'm all fat and pregnant that you're not sure!"

"But I am sure."

"Really?" Buffy wasn't going to let herself get excited about this until she knew Faith was serious.

"Yes."

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Like, seriously seriou.."

"Yes, B, I'm serious!" Faith cut her off. "Really, completely, seriously serious. Now do you wanna have my baby or not? If you're not ready yet that's fine, but I was thinking about when I saw our kid in the future, and with how old Sophie and Lily are now the timing seems about right, so.."

"Okay."

"What?"

"Okay" Buffy repeated, a small smile spreading over her face. "Let's have a baby."

"Really?"

"We're kinda going around in circles here aren't we?" Buffy smirked.

"Yeah. But are you really sure?" The Dark Slayer's tone was slightly mocking. "'Cause I wouldn't wanna get you all fat and pregnant and then find out in a few months that.."

"Faith!"

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><p>The next day, as Faith went about her business, she found Sophie watching her. She watched as Faith made her breakfast. She watched as Faith ate her breakfast. She watched as Faith washed the dishes. She watched from the back door as Faith and Buffy trained in the yard. That afternoon, when Faith caught Sophie watching her watch TV, she finally cracked.<p>

"Okay, Little Red, ya got me. Why have you been starin' at me all day?"

Sophie took a quick look around, making sure nobody was in earshot, then turned back to her favourite Aunt and grinned.

"You and Auntie Buffy want to have a baby."

"We're talking about it" said Faith, surprised. "How did you know?"

"I know everything." There was no arrogance in the way Sophie said this, it was simply the truth. She really was a special girl.

"Little Red, don't tell anyone about this, okay?" Faith pleaded. "We're still talkin' through some stuff. I know we're gonna have to tell your Moms eventually for the spell, but we're not there yet. I'll buy you a new toy, I'll feed you candy and Ice-cream, just please don't say anythin' yet."

"I'm not Lily, Auntie Faith" Sophie frowned. "You don't have to give me stuff."

"I know" Faith sighed. "This stuff is just new to me still."

"That's okay" Sophie stood to leave, then turned back, considering something. "Auntie Faith? There is something I need you to do."

"What?" Faith frowned.

"If anything happens to Lily and me, promise you won't let my Mommies do anything silly and get hurt."

"Why would anything happen to you?" Faith's eyes widened as she remembered exactly which child in the family she was speaking to. "Sophie, if you know something.."

"I don't!" said Sophie, seeming as distressed as her Aunt. "It's just a little naggy feeling in the back of my head, like when Riley came. I feel like something bad _could _happen, but I don't know what, or when.. So do you promise?"

"Yeah.. Yeah, I promise. Your Mama Tara is my sister, you know."

"Not just Mama Tara, both of them!" said Sophie seriously. "Maybe even Mommy Willow more, because.. Oh, I don't know, but something!"

"Okay" Faith crouched in front of her niece, meeting her eye level. She was still so small for age Nine. "I promise, I'll look after them. And if you find out anything else.."

"I'll tell you" said Sophie. "It's no use worrying anybody else yet.."


	6. Overprotective

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

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><p><em>"Oh no" <em>Faith thought to herself a few days later, frowning. _"No need to worry everybody else. Poor old Auntie Faith can worry enough for everyone."_

Since her conversation with Sophie, the Dark Slayer had been rather on edge. She became almost as overprotective of the girls as Willow was. She was mistaking Lily's squeals of joy for screams of terror, constantly running to her aid to find nothing wrong. She got antsy whenever she hadn't seen them for a while. The tiniest noise in the night jolted her awake, listening for signs of trouble. There had been none, but she still got up to peek into her nieces bedrooms anyway. Faith wasn't going to let anything happen to those kids. Her close relationship with them had helped convince her that she'd be okay having her own. Nothing was going to hurt them while she was around. Nothing.

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><p>"Are you really sure none of these teachers are demons?" Faith asked, looking around suspiciously.<p>

"D-Demons?" Lily yelped.

"No, Sweetie" said Tara comfortingly to her daughter, while glaring at Faith. "There are no demons here."

It definitely didn't help that Lily's first day of Kindergarten had fallen within the Dark Slayer's period of overprotectiveness. Having only just begun to relax about the fact her baby was going to school, Faith's comment had set Willow right off.

"Maybe we should check one more time.."

"No!" said Tara sternly.

"But.."

"No!" said Sophie, echoing the Mother she most closely resembled. "None of the teachers are demons, or vampires, or Sorcerors, Hell-Gods, or members of an evil cult. You check every year!"

"Well, you never know when one might show up" said Willow, crossing her arms.

"That's a very good point, Red" said Faith.

"Thank you."

"You two are being ridiculous" Tara frowned. "Sophie checked with Cordelia that nothing was wrong. You really think you know better than one of the Powers That Be?"

Faith and Willow, who despite their now strong friendship were still the members of the Scooby gang least likely to agree on something, shared a look.

"Well.."

"That's it" Tara sighed, before crouching to her youngest daughter's eye level. "Lily, Mommy Willow's going to go with you and Sophie to show you where to line up for School."

"Okay, Mama Tara."

"But.."

"No buts" said Tara sternly.

Willow pouted, but did as she was told.

"Come on!" said Sophie excitedly, grabbing her little sister's hand. "It's been a while since I was in Kindergarten, but I remember exactly where to go!"

Faith made to follow them, but Tara caught her arm.

"Not you. I need to talk to you."

Faith gulped. Sometimes, with that certain tone in her voice, Tara could seem like the Mother she never had, as well as a sister.

"Okay. What's with you turning into Miss Overprotective all of a sudden?"

"Uh.." Faith, not wanting to reveal the true reason she was worried, scrambled for an excuse, and quickly found one. Buffy couldn't get too mad, they wauld have had to tell Willow and Tara soon anyway. "I guess the world just seems more dangerous for kids when you're thinkin' about having one of your own."

"I was wondering when you were going to tell me" Tara smiled.

"Little Red blabbed?" Faith gasped.

"No" Tara smirked. "I found Buffy digging out our old baby books yesterday."

"Oh.."

"Now, why did you tell Sophie before me?"

"I didn't" said Faith. "She just knew, like always."

"Oh."

They looked at Sophie standing beside Willow in the distance, watching over Lily as she mingled with the other new Kindergarteners.

"How do you not worry about 'em, T?" Faith sighed.

"I worry as much as anyone" Tara smiled. "I just don't want _them _to know I'm worried, because then they might think there's something to be afraid of. I don't want my kids to be afraid of the world like I was for so long. Willow can be as overprotective as she wants, but I, most of the time, will be relaxed. That way, our kids get the best of both worlds."

"Tara, you are really smart, you know that?"

"Thanks, Fai.. Uh oh, Willow's gonna cry" Tara sighed. "Come on, let's go get her before she upsets the kids, School starts soon anyway.."


	7. Twins

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

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><p>A few weeks passed by, with no attempts made by anyone to harm or kidnap Sophie and Lily. After nearly a month with no sign of trouble, Faith finally began to relax. She would still keep an eye out sure, but since the danger obviously wasn't as immediate as Sophie had originally suspected, the Dark Slayer figured she could allow herself a little breathing space, to deal with the other biggest worry in her life at the moment. They had got the spell that would help them conceive a baby off of Willow and Tara. Now, they just had to decide when they were going to do it..<p>

* * *

><p>"But I always gets ta play with Lily when I go to Auntie Buffy and Faith and Willow and Tara's house!" Jesse pouted. "Why can't I play with her this time?"<p>

"Because, Tiny human, Lily goes to School now" Anya explained.

"Then I wanna go to school to!"

"You can't go until next year."

"Why not?" Jesse whined. "Me and Lily have always done stuffs together, always!"

"You can still do a lot of things together" said Anya, "But, Lily is a year older than you, so there are some things where she'll always be a little bit ahead, like starting school, and learning to drive.."

"Okay" said Jesse, still not seeming entirely happy. "But if I'm not gonna play with Lily, why do I have to go to my Auntie's house? Why can't I stay here with you?"

"Mommy has a Doctor's appointment, so we can check that your baby brother or sister is growing properly" Anya replied as she searched for her misplaced car keys, finding them under the newspaper Xander had been reading that Morning. "Daddy's going to meet me there, and afterwards, we'll come home and show you a picture."

"Okay.." said Jesse, trailing off in thought. "It could be worser. Auntie Faith's fun to play with, and Echo, and Miss Kitty the second.. Mommy, what happened to Miss Kitty the First?"

"If you asked, your Daddy said to tell you she went to a farm."

"Okay."

* * *

><p>"Nice kick, Baby J" said Faith, as she and Jesse kicked a Soccerball back and forth in the front yard. Echo chased it as it rolled between them, while Miss Kitty The 2nd watched them through the front window.<p>

"I'm not a baby anymore, Auntie Faith!" the little boy frowned, kicking the ball back.

"You're still Baby J as long as you're the youngest" Faith smirked. She moved to kick the ball again, but stopped, as Jesse was now completely distracted by the car that had pulled up in the driveway, or more accurately, the blonde-haired five year old that hopped out of it.

"Lily!" he cried happily, running towards her.

"Jesse!" Lily echoed.

"I missed you!" said Jesse as they hugged.

"I missed you too!" said Lily. "A boy I was sitting with pooped his pants today. You don't poop your pants anymore, and you're way more fun to play with.." the children linked hands, chatting happily as they headed inside.

"Aww, that's cute" said Faith, as Tara and Sophie climbed out of the car and made their way towards her. "Who wants to bet that they'll hook up one day?"

"I'm not betting on my daughter, Faith" Tara chuckled.

* * *

><p>"Twins!" Anya announced, waving the Ultrasound picture above her head as she entered the house a while later. Xander walked behind her, looking a little pale. "Two tiny humans! Do you realise what this means? I'll be huge and unattractive.."<p>

"You're beautiful, Honey" Xander weakly argued as he flopped into a chair, and a slightly worried Willow rushed off to get him a glass of water.

"How could you say that?" Anya cried. "I was big last time, and this time will be worse.."

"Maybe even more dependin' on what sex they are" said Faith, looking up from the magazine she was reading to glance at Anya's stomach. "You carryin' high or low?"

Anya gave her a strange look, and Faith cleared her throat, stuffing the magazine behind Sophie who sat next to her, but not before everyone caught a glimpse of the very pregnant woman on the cover.

"Is that.. Have you and Buffy.." Willow babbled excitedly.

"No. Forget about it."

"Yup, forget it" said Sophie.

"Yes!" cried Anya. "We have more important things to worry about, like what _his _children are going to do to my body!" She pointed accusingly at Xander. Xander winced, raising his hands to shield himself from his wife's potential wrath.

"Anya" said Tara, ever the calming influence. "I think you might be losing track of what's really important here. Sure, pregnancy reeks havoc on your body for nine months, but you're going to have two beautiful babies at the end of it."

"Two?" asked Jesse, wide-eyed, as he and Lily appeared in the doorway.

"Yes, Jesse" Tara smiled. "Twins means two."

"Yay!" the little boy cheered, breaking into a little dance. "I'm gonna have two brothers or sisters, I'm gonna have two brothers or sisters.."

"Auntie Buffy!" Lily cried excitedly, rushing upstairs to fetch her favourite Aunt who was upstairs, secretly going over the things she and Faith needed for their baby-making spell. "Auntie Buffy, Auntie Anya's having _two _babies!"

Seeing her son and niece so excited about the new arrivals, Anya did calm down, and looked at the ultrasound picture in her hand, thinking about Tara's words.

"Well of course they'll be beautiful. I am their Mother.."


	8. Time To Try

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>That night, when our favourite Slayers came home after patrol, kissing as they came through the door, feeling the second of Faith's famous H's as they often did, Buffy pulled away. There was something else she craved tonight too.<p>

"Faith, I think it's time."

"For what?" Faith frowned.

"To try the spell" said Faith. "I want to try the baby spell."

"You sure?"

"Yes. But if you're not ready.."

"No, I am" said Faith quickly, stealing another kiss. "Just checkin' you are. It's big for you, B. Things are gonna be really different for you, all the changes in your body and stuff.. The change for me'll come mostly after the baby's here, 'cause I'm protective of you already."

"I know" Buffy smiled.

* * *

><p>A few weeks went by. Sophie flashed knowing smiles at the Slayers throughout this time, the only sign that anybody knew they were trying to conceive. There were no signs that their efforts had succeeded, until one day..<p>

* * *

><p>"Geez, my boobs feel really sore.." Buffy groaned as she flopped on the couch beside her Wife, who had been watching TV with Sophie.<p>

Moments later, the Slayers turned to each other, eyes widening.

"Isn't that a sign of.."

"I think I'm a little...

"How long since we.."

They bounded off the couch, rushing upstairs.

Sophie grinned.

"I'm gonna have a baby cousin, I'm gonna have a baby cousin.."

Tara peeked in from the Kitchen, where she was making Pancakes.

"Did you say something, Sweetie?"

"No."

* * *

><p>Faith paced back and forth in the bathroom, anxiously waiting for the allotted amount of time before they could check Buffy's pregnancy test to pass.<p>

"Is it time yet?"

"No" Buffy replied.

"Okay.. How about now?"

"No."

"Now?"

"No" Buffy repeated for the third time, slightly annoyed. "You know we set the timer. When that goes off, _then _it will be time."

"I know" Faith sighed. "I'm just gettin' a little antsy."

The seconds ticked by. Faith continued to pace. Buffy, who had been rather patient until this point, began fidgeting too.

"Faith?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you check if the timer's working?"

"Now who's being impatient?" Faith smirked.

* * *

><p>After what felt like forever, the timer buzzed. Both Slayers rushed to the covered test.<p>

It was blue.

"Blue means Positive, right?" asked Faith, slightly nervous.

"Mmhm" a small smile began spreading over Buffy's face.

"So.. You're Pregnant?"

"Uh-huh" Buffy's smile widened.

"We're having a baby?"

"Yup."

"Woo-hoo!" Faith's own dimpled grin was now in full display. She picked Buffy up, spinning her around and kissing her. "We're having a baby!"

* * *

><p>When the Slayers finally exited the Bathroom, Sophie was already there waiting for them.<p>

"Little Red, guess what?" said Faith excitedly, "Me and Auntie Buffy are.."

"I know" Sophie grinned.

"You really do know everything, don't you Soph?" Buffy chuckled.

"Mmhmm." She held a small parcel out towards them.

A confused Faith took it and opened it, revealing a pair of tiny pink baby booties, and a note in familiar loopy handwriting.

_'Congratulations! She's gonna be a handful. Love, C.'_

Faith grinned and showed the note to Buffy, who couldn't help her own smile from growing further still.

"She dropped those off a few days ago, but I couldn't give them to you until you knew" Sophie explained.

"Well, thanks for lookin' after 'em for us Little Red" Faith chuckled, ruffling her hair.

* * *

><p>AN: I know all the chapters of this have been pretty short so far. I'm sorry, but it will get better soon, I promise.<p> 


	9. Sophie Knows Best

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>"So, yeah" Buffy finished her speech a little awkwardly, after she and Faith had gathered the Scoobies to deliver their news. "We're having a baby."<p>

"Wow. That's great, guys!" said Willow, standing to hug Buffy.

"Congratulations!" Tara smiled, hugging Faith.

"I'm gonna be an Auntie!" Dawn squealed, joining in on the hugs. Sure, she was already an Auntie, but being that this child was coming from her real sister made it just a little more exciting. They needed another Summers in the world.

"Yeah, great news!" Xander grinned. "Right, Ahn?"

Anya was mumbling something about Buffy stealing her thunder again.

"Ahn?" Xander nudged her.

"Oh yes, wonderful!" The former demon forced a smile. "Now your Tiny Human can grow up with our Tiny Twin Humans, and they can play together, and go to School together, and be best friends forever and all that other cutesy stuff."

"You really think so?" Buffy was too excited to recognise the obvious sarcasm in her friend's voice. "That would be adorable!"

"Yeah, sure.." Anya rolled her eyes.

"We're gonna get a new cousin, we're gonna get a new cousin!" chanted Jesse and Lily, jumping around.

"Have you told Giles yet?" asked Willow.

"No, we're going to call him later.."

In the barrage of baby-talk that ensued, Faith began to feel a little overwhelmed and quietly slipped out of the room. Sophie, sensing her favorite Aunt's discomfort, followed her.

* * *

><p>"Are you okay, Auntie Faith?" Sophie asked when she found her in the Kitchen.<p>

"Huh?" Faith looked up from where she was leaning against the bench. "Oh yeah, I'm fine Little Red."

"No you're not" Sophie frowned, crossing her arms.

"Really, I'm.."

"Don't lie to me, Auntie Faith" said Sophie, tapping a finger on the side of her head, "'Cause I can tell. I know everything, remember?"

"If you know, why do you need to ask?" Faith frowned.

"Some things I just know" Sophie explained. "Other things I can find out if I really wanted, but I don't go poking around in people's minds unless it's for something really important. Stuff like that is what made my Mommies break up that time. So, what's wrong? I won't tell anyone else if you don't want me to."

Faith sighed. It really was useless trying to hide anything from Sophie.

"I'm happy about the baby, I really am, but.. I'm kinda scared" Faith admitted. "I don't know how to be a Mom."

"But you will, when it's time. You're gonna be a great Mommy!"

"How do you know?"

"You're already a great Auntie" said Sophie. "How different can it be, really?"

"It's different, Little Red" said Faith.

"Why? You protect us from bad things, just like you will with your baby.."

"Sure, but.."

"You teach us stuff, like you will with your baby.."

"Well yeah, but.."

"And most important of all, you love us, just like you're gonna love your baby" said Sophie, "So why is it so different?"

"It just is!" Faith snapped, then sighed. "When it's your own kid, it's different. "

"Okay. But the stuff I said is still true."

"Maybe.. I just don't want to screw this up."

"You won't." Sophie paused for a moment. "Why don't you try talking to her?"

"Who?" said Faith, confused.

"The baby" said Sophie. "Tell her all the stuff you're worried about, so she understands."

"That's impossible, Little Red, the kid's about the size of a peanut right now" Faith frowned. "She couldn't understand."

"Auntie Faith, technically, the baby's impossible. Half of our family is impossible, but here we all are." The impossibly smart nine-year old flashed a cheeky grin, then skipped out of the room, leaving her Aunt with a lot to think about. "Nothing is impossible."

"Damn" said Faith, shaking her head, "She's right again.."

* * *

><p>So that night, after her now-solo Patrol, Faith, returning home to find her Wife already asleep, quietly knelt by their bed, level with Buffy's still flat stomach.<p>

"Hey, kid" she whispered. "Uh.. I'm your Mom. Your other Mom, I mean.. Mama, I think we decided I was Mama. Mama Faith. So, I'm gonna be honest with you here. My Mom wasn't the greatest.. She was pretty crap, actually.." Faith's eyes widened in a moment of panic. "Uh, don't tell Mommy B I said that, that's a bad word! Anyway, I didn't have the greatest role model in the 'Mom' department, so I might make a few mistakes.. Nowhere near as bad as hers, so don't worry.. But try to bear with me through 'em, okay Peanut? 'Cause I already love you. You and your Mommy B mean the world to me, and nothin's ever gonna hurt you while I'm around."

Faith found herself letting out a breath of relief. While not completely sure the baby could hear her, it had helped to get those things off her chest. She shifted the blanket's a little, leaning in to kiss Buffy's stomach.

"Night, Peanut. See you in Nine months."


	10. Baby Bumps

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

AN: I meant to say this earlier, but I forgot. A few elements of this fic have been taken from the Season 8 comics with my own little twists, but you don't have to have read them to know what's going on. Those who have can probably guess the villains, who make their first, unnamed appearance in this chapter.

* * *

><p>"I hate this!" Anya shrieked as she stormed around the house, gesturing to her now six-months pregnant belly. "Look how disgustingly fat and unattractive I am already, and there's still three months left!"<p>

"Anya, you are not unattractive" said Xander, trying to calm her down. "And you're not fat. There's just a little more of you to love for a while, and.. uh-oh." He knew that had sounded bad as soon as he'd said it.

"That's the same as fat!" Anya snapped.

"Okay, I'm sorry, neither off us are great with words, but.." Xander yelped, dodging the hand that his wife swung at him, and looked to where Jesse, the only person seemingly immune to his Mother's mood swings, sat on the carpet playing. "A little help, Buddy?"

"You look beautiful, Mommy" said Jesse, smiling his sweetest, Mommy heart-melting smile.

"Aww, that's Sweet, little human" said Anya, patting his head, "But you won't really know what beautiful is until you hit puberty and develop raging male hormones."

"What are.."

"Sorry, Mommy can't talk anymore. She has to go pee 'cause one of your Tiny Twin Siblings kicked my bladder again!"

"We really can't win right now" Xander sighed.

"Bloody women."

"Jesse!"

"What? Uncle Spike says it all the time!"

"Great.."

* * *

><p>While one pregnant Scooby lamented their baby belly, the other was rejoicing in the early signs of one.<p>

"Faith, look!" Buffy squealed excitedly from in front of the mirror, running a hand over her slightly rounded stomach. "I'm starting to show a little, see?"

"I see" Faith grinned, crouching to kiss the bump. "Hey, Peanut."

"Peanut?" asked Buffy, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, well, I figured she was about that size when I first tried talking to her, and it just kinda stuck in my head" Faith explained, a little embarassed.

"It's cute" Buffy smiled, pulling her Wife up to kiss her. "I love you."

"Love you too, B." Realizing they were both still in their underwear, she peeked at the clock over Buffy's shoulder. "But we better get dressed now or we'll be late for our ultrasound appointment."

Buffy looked at the clock herself, and yelped.

"Hurry!"

* * *

><p>Buffy and Faith had chosen the same OBGYN as Willow and Tara had for Lily, knowing that there wouldn't be too many awkward questions about how the pregnancy had come about.

"Ah, there" He smiled, pointing at the screen. "That's your baby."

"That's our baby" Buffy whispered, squeezing Faith's hand.

"Yeah" Faith smiled, squeezing back. Her insecurities about impending Motherhood were still there, but she could be excited at the same time, couldn't she? Come to think of it, The Dark Slayer was an expert at juggling conflicting emotions. What seemed like an eternity ago now, she had both loved and hated Buffy at the same time.

"And if we just prod around a bit more here.." The Doctor did so, then fiddled with another dial on the machine, "There's the heartbeat."

Both Slayers gasped as the sound reached their ears.

"Wow" said Faith, awestruck.

"Yeah" Buffy agreed, unable to form any other words to describe what they were hearing. "Wow."

* * *

><p>That afternoon, Sophie and Lily stood waiting at the school gates. Auntie Faith was supposed to pick them up today, because Mommy Willow's car was getting serviced.<p>

The oldest Rosenberg daughter clung tightly to her little sister's hand, glancing around nervously. Something didn't feel right..

"W-What's wrong, Sophie?" Lily asked, sensing her sister's discomfort.

"I feel like somebody's watchi.." before she could finish her sentence, Sophie spotted her Aunt's familiar car pulling up nearby, and, relieved, tightened her grip on Lily's hand as they rushed towards it. Auntie Faith had said to tell her if she sensed any further signs of trouble. "Auntie Faith.."

"Hey, Little Red, Lilypad" Faith was beaming. She held up a small black-and-white picture as her nieces got in the car. "Look, we got a picture of your cousin! There's a DVD too, you can watch it when we get home.."

"Auntie Faith.."

"Yeah?" Faith grinned.

Sophie sighed. She'd forgotten that the Ultrasound was today. Auntie Faith was so happy. She couldn't ruin that, she just couldn't. Besides, there wasn't any immediate danger.. This time.

"..She's gonna be a beautiful baby" Sophie finished, forcing a smile.

"Hell yeah, she is!" Faith grinned again. "Have you seen where she comes from?" The Dark Slayer's smile suddenly turned into a frown. "Crap, what am I gonna do when she starts datin'?.."

As the car took off down the road, the woman that had been watching from the park across the street slunk back into the shadows, and disappeared.

* * *

><p>"Why can't we just do it now?" The woman frowned at her companion when she had returned to their hide-out.<p>

"Because, it's my plan!" The other figure, who could barely be called human anymore, snapped. "_I _say when it goes ahead! We can't 'just do it' after one stake-out! We have to know their schedule inside and out. Wait for the perfect moment, then snatch those kids and finally get revenge on Willow Rosenberg for what she's done to me.. I mean us!"

At 'snatch those kids' the woman felt a pang of guilt for dragging a pair of innocent children into their plot. They seemed sweet, from what she'd observed.

"But we're not actually going to hurt the kids though, right? I mean, they haven't done anything.."

"Of course not, babe."

She involuntarily grimaced at his unpleasant grin.

"They're just the bait."

* * *

><p>That night, after returning from Patrol, Faith stared at the ultrasound picture for a while before finally placing it in the long-empty space on her bedside table.<p>

"Finally filled that spot, huh?" Buffy whispered from her side of the bed, having woken when she sensed her Wife's presence.

"It's not full yet" said Faith as she got in and snuggled up beside Buffy, kissing her forehead while her finger began tracing circles over the blonde's baby bump. "I've got room for a few more."

"There'll be plenty more" Buffy grinned.


	11. The One You Lost

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>Another two months went by. Sophie still sensed trouble on the horizon, but since it was still not immediate, she hadn't told anyone.<p>

As time passed, Buffy noticed that Faith was becoming increasingly over protective of her and the baby, or 'Peanut' as Faith affectionately referred to her.

At first it was cute little things, like when she'd found her wife crawling down the hallway on her stomach..

* * *

><p>"Faith, what are you doing?" Buffy asked her, raising an eyebrow and trying not to laugh.<p>

"I'm lookin' at the World from a baby's perspective, B" Faith explained, too focused to even be embarrassed. "Makin' sure everything's safe."

* * *

><p>Or when she'd rushed out to grab Buffy's shopping bags..<p>

* * *

><p>"Faith, it's only maternity clothes" Buffy laughed. "They're not even heavy!"<p>

"Don't care, B. You don't have to lift a finger around here until this kid is born.."

* * *

><p>Then she started to go overboard, like making them take a detour on their walk through the park to avoid a guy who was smoking..<p>

* * *

><p>"Faith, I don't think walking past a tiny little bit of cigarette smoke is going to cause any damage.."<p>

"But ya don't _know _that it won't."

"_You _smoked" Buffy frowned.

"Hey, I quit years ago" said Faith defensively. "Peanut wasn't even a thought then.."

* * *

><p>Or when Buffy had made herself a sandwich the other day, and pulled out a plate to put it on..<p>

* * *

><p>"Hold it, B." Faith snatched the plate from her Wife's hand.<p>

"What now?" Buffy groaned, mildly annoyed.

"Willow ate Sushi off this a few days ago" said Faith, taking it to the sink. "Let me just wash it again, make sure there's no more bugs.."

"But Faith.."

"No buts, B."

* * *

><p>But all that, Buffy supposed, she could still just put down to Faith's inner protective Mommy coming out. A little annoying, but sweet. Then this Morning..<p>

* * *

><p>Buffy and Faith had just been heading down the stairs for breakfast when Echo, filled with early morning energy, ran under their feet, setting Buffy off balance for a second. It happened occasionally, but her Slayer reflexes always helped her steady herself, or whoever else the dog may have bumped, quickly enough to avoid any trouble. Today was no different. Except for the fact that something in Faith seemed to suddenly snap.<p>

"Bad dog!" she growled, stomping downstairs after her pet. "Bad dog!" Faith smacked Echo across the nose, hard enough to make him yelp, and the sound seemed to pull Faith back to Earth as the dog bolted away, whimpering. "Crap. I shouldn't have done that.."

"Then why did you?" Buffy cried. "Echo didn't mean to bump me!"

"I know.. I don't know why.. I guess I just freaked a little, you bein' pregnant and all.."

Buffy frowned. She knew her Sister Slayer well enough at this point to sense that she wasn't quite telling the whole truth about the reasons behind her outburst.

"Faith.."

"I just panicked B, that's it" said Faith, walking off. "I've gotta go find Echo and give him a treat or somethin'.."

Buffy stared after her Wife's retreating form, still frowning.

"I heard yelling" Willow poked her head out of the kitchen, sounding concerned. "Everything okay, Buff?"

"I don't know" Buffy sighed. "But I'm gonna find out."

Even now, there were things in Faith's past that she wouldn't talk about. But this seemed important, so, if Buffy got her in the right mood, maybe she could get her to open up.

* * *

><p>After a fairly quiet Patrol, Faith was getting ready to head home when her cell rang. Seeing the Caller ID, she quickly answered it, voice filling with panic.<p>

"B, what's wrong? Is Peanut okay?"

_"She's fine."_

"Are you.."

_"We're BOTH fine" _Buffy clarified. _"Um, could you stop by McDonald's on the way back and get me some fries and a cone?"_

"Okay.." replied Faith, confused. "Why?"

_"Well, people are always saying that McDonald's fries taste really good when you dip them in the ice-cream, and I suddenly got a huge craving for it. Get something for yourself too."_

"Okay. I'll be home soon, B."

* * *

><p>"Come on, Faith, try one!" said Buffy, thrusting an ice-cream slathered fry at her Wife. "It's good!"<p>

"I dunno" said Faith, skeptical. She shot a hand out to keep a drop of melted ice cream falling on the blankets. They normally never ate in bed, but they didn't want to wake anybody up banging around in the Kitchen. "How do I know it's not just the weird pregnant lady cravings part of your brain talkin'?"

"Don't you trust me?" Buffy pouted.

"Oh no B, not the pout that's not fair and.. Damn it, give me that thing." Faith grabbed the fry, shoving it in her mouth. "Wow. That is good." She took another fry and dipped it in Buffy's ice-cream.

Now that her Wife was relaxed, Buffy decided that this was as good a time as any to try and talk.

"About this morning.." She began, gently.

Faith sighed.

"If you really don't want to talk about it, then.."

"It's not that, B" said Faith. "It's just somethin' I haven't thought about in a really long time. I guess I was tryin' to block it out. So don't be mad that I've never told you before, okay?"

Buffy squeezed her hand.

"I won't. What happened, Baby?"

"It was a little before my Mom died" said Faith after a pause. "She pushed me down the stairs in one of her rages. That was nothin' new. Except this time it turned out I was pregnant, and the fall made me miscarry."

"Oh, Faith" Buffy kissed her Wife's cheek, eyes filling with tears.

"It's okay. I didn't even know. I was too young anyway, so I guess it was for the best. But this mornin' for that split second when I thought you might fall.. It just brought it all back, you know?"

"I know" Buffy whispered. "It's okay, I understand."

"Anyway" Faith forced a smile "We've got Peanut now right?"

"Yeah, we've got Peanut."

* * *

><p>A few days afterwards, Faith came back from the store to see Buffy kneeling in the garden, planting a small pink Rose Bush.<p>

"B, what are you doin'?"

"I know you said it was okay, and it didn't matter because of Peanut" said Buffy, wiping her dirty hands on the old shirt she was wearing. "But I think it does. So, these Roses are a memorial.. For the one you lost."

Faith felt a lump in her throat, tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. She dropped to her knees beside Buffy and the Rose Bush, finally letting them fall. Truth be told, she had thought a lot about the baby she'd lost, and all the what ifs that came with it. But it wasn't just them she cried for now. She cried for the other things she'd lost. Her childhood, her innocence, the extra years she could have had with Buffy if things had turned out differently. She pulled her Wife closer, laying one hand over the spot where their child was growing. No way was she ever losing them, or the family they had built for themselves. No way. Faith felt a tiny tap against her hand. Her eyes shot open.

"Was that.."

"I think it was" Buffy smiled.

"Hey" Faith grinned, wiping her eyes, and bending to kiss Buffy's stomach. "Hey, Peanut. Sorry you had to listen to Mama Faith bein' a big ol' cry baby. There was just some stuff she needed to finally get out. But it's okay now. You and Mommy Buffy made it better."

"We will eventually have to work out a real name for her" Buffy pointed out.

"I know. But she'll still be Peanut anyway."


	12. Practice

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>"Whatever it is, it's got to sound good next to Joyce" Faith mused as they headed inside, one arm curled around her Wife's waist while her other hand remained in it's position on Buffy's growing stomach. Her Peanut was still kicking, and she didn't want to miss a second of it.<p>

"Hmm?" Buffy looked up, having been too busy staring at her belly and grinning like an idiot. "What was that, baby?"

"Her name. It has to sound good next to Joyce" Faith repeated. "Since we're havin' a girl I thought Joyce as the middle name would be a given."

Buffy smiled at her, now trying to fight back happy tears of her own.

"I love you."

"Love you too, B. Always."

Tara passed by carrying a laundry basket and paused, frowning.

Faith, have you been crying?" she asked, setting the basket down.

"Yeah, but I needed to, I think" Faith smiled, letting her sister know she was okay. "Hey, the baby's kickin', wanna feel?"

"Can I?" Tara asked Buffy.

"Sure."

Faith moved her hand a little to make room for Tara's.

"That's your Auntie Tara, Peanut. Wanna say hi?"

The baby gave an obliging kick.

"Whoa, she's a strong one!" Tara chuckled.

"Of course she is" Faith grinned proudly. "She belongs to the World's greatest Slayers!"

"I remember when Lily started kicking" said Tara with a smile. "It makes everything more real, doesn't it?"

"Yeah" Buffy agreed.

Tara suddenly found herself feeling a little jealous of her friends. She and Willow hadn't talked about having another baby for a while, but both Anya and Buffy getting pregnant within a few months of each other had brought the matter to the front of her mind. Sophie and Lily were both at School now. She missed having at least one of her children around all day. A new baby could fill that void.

And, Tara realized when she remembered looking at the Family Tree drawing hidden under Sophie's bed, a secret shared between just the two of them, her yet-to-be born son hadn't looked all that much younger than Buffy and Faith's daughter, or Xander and Anya's twin girls. For that to be accurate, and, like all of Sophie's predictions, it had been so far, he would need to be conceived fairly soon.

Yup, she and Willow definitely needed to talk.

* * *

><p>"You want another baby?" said Willow, sounding surprised, and, Tara thought, a little nervous. The girls had gone to sleep a few hours ago, and they were preparing for bed themselves.<p>

"I want to talk about it" Tara replied. "The girls are both in School now. They're growing up so fast. Wouldn't it be nice to have a little baby around again? Ours, I mean."

"Yeah.."

"You don't seem very enthusiastic" Tara frowned. "What's up, Will? Last time we talked about more kids, you were all for it. You were the one who brought it up, actually."

"I know.." Willow sat down on the bed.

"If you've changed your mind.."

"No!" said Willow quickly. "I want another baby too, really!"

"Then how come you looked so scared the second I mentioned it?"

"I'm not.."

"Willow" said Tara sternly, crossing her arms. "Don't lie to me."

"I'd love us to have another baby, Tara. It's probably the perfect time too, with the other two both at School. It's not another baby that I'm worried about."

"Then what_ are_ you worried about?" Tara asked, sitting beside her Wife and draping an arm around her shoulders. Willow instinctively curled into her side.

"I know you want me to carry it this time" The red-head sighed. "That scares me a little."

"Willow" Tara chuckled, "I know a lot of people complain about Pregnancy side-effects, but they're really not that.."

"Oh no, that stuff I could handle" said Willow, cutting her off. "I just can't help worrying that, well.. All that darkness is still inside me. What if it corrupts the baby or something?"

"Oh." Tara paused, thinking for a little while. "I don't think that will be a problem."

"You don't?" asked Willow as they moved to snuggle together under the blankets.

"No" Tara shook her head. "Babies come from the act of love, and love was what brought you back from Dark Willow. Also, unborn babies are completely pure, unspoiled. Darkness can't really touch him."

"Him?"

"Or her" added Tara quickly.

"Him would be good" said Willow thoughtfully. Tara's words had soothed her a little, though she still seemed slightly uneasy. "I mean, I'd be happy whatever, but since we have two 'hers' a 'him' might be nice."

"Mmm." They fell silent for a while. "Willow, Sweetie, I'm not going to force you into anything you don't feel comfortable with. So, if your really that worried about it, I can carry the baby again. I just thought you should have the chance to experience it too, if you wanted too."

"I think I do" said Willow. "Just give me a little time to get over my irrational fears, 'kay?"

"They're not irrational, Will" Tara replied, dropping a kiss to her Wife's forehead, over the scar she'd received in battle with the demons who had created their eldest child. "Unnecessary, maybe, but not irrational. And sure, take all the time you need." She rolled on top of Willow, reaching over to switch off their bedside lamp as she began a trail of kisses down her neck. "Until then, we can practice.."

"Good plan. I like that plan."


	13. No Buts

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>"I'm never getting pregnant with tiny twin humans again. Never!" Anya grumbled to herself as she waddled around the house, ignoring Xander's earlier instructions to take it easy today. "It's too much trouble!"<p>

Anya was a week away from her eighth month of Pregnancy. She felt huge, her back ached, her ankles were painfully swollen, and she had to pee almost constantly. She was sick of it.

Xander had tried his best to help, giving her foot rubs and getting the new Nursery prepared so his Wife didn't have to worry about it. He'd also booked Jesse in to start Daycare, at a Centre conveniently located next door to Sophie and Lily's school, in a few months to help limit Anya's stress levels after the twins were born. And, as soon as he'd gotten over his shock at the fact they were expecting twins, Xander had put on Willow's hat and become Research Boy, looking into any other complications they could expect, and, as was the main issue at the moment, the difference in gestational periods between single babies and multiples. Twins arrived early more often than not, meaning theirs could make an appearance any time now, hence Xander's warning for his Wife to take it easy.

And at first, Anya had listened. But she'd been cooped up in the House for weeks now. She had to get out. Her tiny twin humans must be different, she reasoned. They knew not to come out until they were really ready.

"Come on, Jesse" she called her son, who had been sitting in front of the TV engrossed in the antics of Spongebob Squarepants. "We're going to the mall."

Jesse frowned.

"But Daddy said.."

"Forget what Daddy said" said Anya, taking his hand and heading for the door. "Daddy's just being macho and overprotective because Mommy's pregnant."

"But.."

"No buts, Tiny Human. If you're good, you can go and play with Lily this weekend."

Jesse's face brightened, too young and gullible to realize that his Mother's bribe wasn't really much of a bribe since he played with Lily most Weekends anyway.

"Okay! But.."

"What did I just say?" Anya frowned.

"I know Mommy, no buts" said Jesse, "But this is a 'portant but, and it's not about anything Daddy said."

"Alright, then" Anya relented, though still seemed a little impatient. "What?"

"What if you gots to go pee-pee?" Jesse asked. "You need to go pee-pee lots, Mommy."

"Oh, that" Anya chuckled as they headed outside. "There's a wonderful human invention called 'panty liners'.."

* * *

><p>"Aw, who's a good boy?" said Faith, scratching Echo behind the ears. "You're a good boy! Yeah, you get another bit of Doggy Chocolate.."<p>

"You're spoiling him, you know" Buffy smirked, moving to sit on the couch beside her.

"He deserves to be spoiled, after what I did to him" said Faith with a small frown.

"Faith, look at him" Buffy gestured to the dog, happily bouncing around them. "I think he's over it."

"I'm not."

"You have to stop being so hard on yourself, Baby. Anyone would understand why you did what you did. I think Echo even understands. I saw him chase a bird away from the rose bush Yesterday."

"He did?" Faith allowed herself a small smile.

"He did" Buffy nodded, reaching over to brush a lock of dark hair out of the other Slayer's face. "That's better. You look so beautiful when you smile, Faith."

And, like every other time her Wife had used that word to describe her, The Dark Slayer blushed.

"Buffy.."

"You are" Buffy asserted, before suddenly grinning. "Peanut thinks so, too." She grabbed Faith's hand, laying it on her stomach. "Your Mama Faith is Beautiful, isn't she?"

Faith's smile couldn't help but widen at the answering kick.

"Great" she chuckled. "You two are already gangin' up on me."

"Faith.."

"Don't worry, B. It's enough that you think it."

"But.."

"No buts."

* * *

><p>They had been walking around the Mall for nearly an hour when it happened. That first little tell-tale twinge. Anya tried to ignore it, hoped it was just a false alarm.<p>

Then came a second one a while later, and Anya began to realize that walking to the Mall had been a bad idea, no matter how much she thought she'd needed the exercise.

On the third, she cried out, and Jesse dropped the new toy Fire Truck she'd bought him, his little face filling with panic.

"Mommy, what's wrong?!"

"Nothing, Tiny human" Anya smiled at her son, trying to hide her own panic from him. "The babies are coming, that's all." This was one situation where even she could admit that she'd been very stupid. She fumbled with her phone for a minute, before she gave up, handing it to Jesse and making her way to a bench nearby. "I need you to call Daddy and tell him to come get us, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy."

Unfortunately, Jesse scrolled not quite far enough, dialling the number just above Xander's instead..

* * *

><p>Willow and Tara were snuggled together in bed, basking in the after glow of more 'practicing', when Willow's cell phone rang.<p>

"Tell them to go away" Tara muttered, her face buried against Willow's neck.

"No, I'd better get it" Willow sighed, somehow sensing that the call was important. "Who calls my Cell during the day?" She got out of bed, rummaging in her bag until she found the phone. "Hello?"

_"Oh, sorry Auntie Willow" _came Jesse's voice from the other end of the line. _"I was supposed to call Daddy and tell him the babies are coming. Bye-bye.."_

"Wait! Jesse, Sweetie, don't hang up!" cried Willow in panic, hearing the hustle and bustle in the background. "Where are you?"_  
><em>

_"The Mall. We walked here."_

"Nearly eight months pregnant with twins" Willow grumbled under her breath. "Great move, Anya." She began gathering her scattered clothes, throwing Tara's at her as she did so. "Where in the Mall?"

_"Outside the Toy Store."_

"Stay there. I'm going to come get you."

_"But Mommy said to tell Daddy to come.."_

"No buts, Jesse!" Willow snapped, before sighing, realizing she was unfairly taking her frustration at the little boy's Mother out on him. "Sorry for snapping, Sweetie. But listen, your Daddy might not be able to get out of work right away, and Your Mommy needs to get to Hospital as soon as possible to make sure the babies are okay. So, I'll call your Daddy to tell him what's happening, but then I'll come get you, got it?"

_"Okay, Auntie Willow."_

* * *

><p>"Stop it!" Buffy squealed. In the few minutes since their previous conversation, a tickle war had somehow ensued between the two Slayers. "Faith, stop! It's not fair, you know I can't fight back properly right now!"<p>

"Exactly" Faith smirked. "Gotta take advantage of that while I can."

"I h-hate you!" Buffy forced out between giggles.

"Nah, you love me." Fortunately for Buffy, Faith did stop, distracted when Willow and Tara came rushing down the stairs. "Hey" she waggled her eyebrows, glancing at the witches' messy hair, "What have you two been doin' up.."

"Not now, Faith" Willow cut her off as she rushed for the door. Tara didn't respond at all, on the phone trying to calm a frantic Xander. "Anya's in labor. I have to pick up her and Jesse from the Mall and take them to the Hospital. Can you get the girls from School and meet us there?"

"Sure" Faith nodded, all signs of the joke she'd been about to make forgotten.

"We'll be there as soon as we can" added Buffy.

* * *

><p>"She what?!" Xander yelled into the phone, panic quickly setting in. "I told her to take it easy! I researched! Me! I never research! That's why she should have known it was important! Why couldn't she just.."<p>

_"Xander, please, try to stay calm" _said Tara. _"Willow's going to find Anya and take her to the Hospital. All you have to do is get there yourself, okay?"_

"Okay. Thanks, Tara." Xander hung up, took a deep breath, and bolted in the direction of his car.


	14. The Birth Of The Tiny Twin Humans

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>Xander was pretty sure he'd broken all land-speed records in getting to the Hospital. He bolted inside and headed for the Maternity Ward, skidding to a stop in the waiting area, where Willow sat with Jesse in her lap.<p>

"Hey, Buddy" Xander ruffled his son's hair, before turning to his best friend. "Where is she, Will?"

"Room 309" Willow replied. "I would have gone with her, but somebody needed to look after Jesse and no-one else is here yet."

"That's okay. Thanks, Will." Xander took off down the Hall.

"Daddy, be careful!" Jesse called, a few seconds too late to stop his Father from slipping and falling on his butt. "Mommy's water broked down there!"

Despite the seriousness of the current situation, Willow couldn't help but giggle.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe you were so stupid, Ahn!" Xander yelled as he paced back and forth across the room. "I told you to take it easy!"<p>

"I know, Xander!" Anya snapped. "I know I was stupid, I don't need a lecture.. Ah!" She cried out as another contraction hit.

Xander, forgetting how annoyed he was, rushed to his Wife's side to hold her hand.

"Sorry I yelled, Ahn" he sighed. "I was just worried, that's all."

"I know. It's okay."

At that moment, a Doctor came in to check Anya's vitals.

"Let's see how things are going, shall we?" He smiled. He checked how far Anya was dilated, how far apart her contractions were.. All this was fine. But a small frown crossed the Doctor's face as he looked at the Foetal monitor.

Anya didn't like that look.

"What's wrong?" she cried. "What's wrong with my Tiny Twin Humans?!"

* * *

><p>Xander made a quick detour to the waiting room. All the Scoobies were present now. Jesse had moved into Dawn, his favorite Auntie's lap, while Lily sat next to him in Connor's, the pair chatting excitedly. Giles had been periodically calling for updates while he tried to book a flight over from England.<p>

Willow stood when she spotted Xander, frowning at the Scrubs he was wearing.

"What's going on?"

"One of the babies is in distress" said Xander, voice shaking with worry. "They're gonna do a C-section." He looked back up the hall. "I have to.."

"Go" Willow nodded, understanding.

* * *

><p>"Xander" Anya whimpered, as the Doctors and bustled around preparing everything. "I'm scared. What if something goes.."<p>

"No, Anya" Xander cut her off. "Nothing is going to go wrong. Just try to stay calm, okay?"

"Okay" Anya replied, squeezing his hand.

"We're ready" said the Doctor.

* * *

><p>"I'm bored" Jesse whined, fidgeting in Dawn's lap. "I wanna see the babies!"<p>

"Yeah!" Lily echoed. "We wanna see the babies!"

"You can't yet, kiddo" Dawn chuckled. "The Doctors are still getting them out."

"Well, they're taking too long!" Jesse pouted.

"Yeah!" Lily agreed.

Connor, not quite as patient with small children, glanced wistfully over at Sophie, who had remained quiet through this whole ordeal. Even when she was little she'd been fairly quiet. Now, she was happily scribbling in her Diary, which she said she'd received as a gift from Cordelia on her Seventh Birthday, which had been a big event among the Scoobies as it marked the day when her Parents had her longer than the Demons had. Connor's eyes drifted over to the Vending Machine, giving him an idea. He looked to Tara, silently asking permission. She nodded, so he pulled out his Wallet and handed the kids a quarter each.

"Hey, how about you two go pick something out of the Vending Machine over there?"

Lily and Jesse looked at each other, forgetting their boredom, before speeding off towards the machine.

"Yay!"

"Finally" said Connor, relieved, as he collapsed back in his chair. "That should keep them quiet."

"For about five minutes" Faith smirked.

* * *

><p>"Okay, there's the first baby.. Congratulations, it's a girl!" The Doctor announced.<p>

Anya looked up, seeing the screaming infant for just a few seconds before a medical team whisked her away.

"Hear that, Ahn?" Xander's proud grin could almost be seen through the mask he wore. "We have a baby girl!"

"And another girl!"

It was quiet. Too quiet.

"She's not crying!" Anya shrieked. "Why isn't she crying?!"

"Anya, calm down" said Xander, though he was just as worried. "Everything's gonna be fine.."

For what felt like the longest ten seconds of the couple's lives, the Doctor's worked on their daughter. Then, finally, a baby's cry, slightly quieter than the first, pierced the air. Xander and Anya let out huge sighs of relief.

* * *

><p>"I gotta go pee-pee" Jesse announced.<p>

Everybody looked expectantly at Connor.

"What?"

"You have to take him" said Buffy. "We don't have the right parts."

"Okay" Connor sighed, shifting Lily out of his lap and taking Jesse's hand. "Come on."

* * *

><p>A short while later, Xander pushed a temporarily wheelchair-bound Anya into the Neo-Natal Ward, settling her between the two Humidicribs currently housing their identical twin daughters.<p>

"Hey, baby girls" Xander smiled. "Mommy and Daddy are here."

Anya looked between them, uncharacteristically silent. The first twin was healthy, only suffering the mild jaundice common to Premature babies. The second was slightly less so. She was slightly smaller, and hooked up to a few more machines than sister, her lungs needing to get a bit stronger before her parents would be able to take her Home, but was still expected to lead a normal happy life. Despite this news, Anya felt tears come to her eyes, and began to sob.

"This is all my fault!"

"Oh hey, no" said Xander, moving to crouch in front of her. "No it's not."

"But you were right" Anya sniffed. "I should have stayed home!"

"Yeah, maybe" Xander admitted. "But really, Anya, it probably wouldn't have made much difference. Twins are usually always born early, so this would have happened soon anyway. And besides, you heard the Doctor, they're both gonna be fine. So, we really only have one more problem."

"What?" said Anya, wiping her eyes.

"Well, our girls need names" said Xander. "Cute as it is, we can't keep calling them the Tiny Twin Humans forever. So, any ideas?"

"Yes.."


	15. What's In A Name?

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>Night had fallen by now. Jesse and Lily had finally fallen asleep, along with Sophie, but the other occupants of the Waiting Room were beginning to worry.<p>

"Shouldn't we have heard somethin' by now?" Faith frowned.

"I'm sure everything's fine" said Buffy, trying to ignore her own worried feelings.

"They're probably just bonding" Tara suggested.

"I dunno.." said Faith, unconvinced.

Luckily, before their heads could fill with too many unpleasant 'what if' scenarios, Xander appeared, beaming.

"Two girls!" he announced, as the group flocked over to him. "Two beautiful little identical twin girls."

Jesse stirred in Dawn's arms.

"Hi, Daddy" he yawned, too sleepy to be fully aware of what was going on around him. "Are the babies out yet?"

"Uh-huh. You've got two little sisters."

"Can I see them?"

"Not tonight, Buddy" said Xander. "They're sleeping, and there's still a lot of Doctor's around, you might get in the way. I've got some pictures of them, though."

Jesse had already fallen back to sleep, but the other Scoobies gathered around, jostling for the best position from which to view the small screen on the digital camera Xander had drawn from his pocket.

"Aww, they're so tiny!" said Dawn.

"They're adorable!" said Buffy.

"Have they got names yet?" asked Faith.

"Yup" Xander grinned, flipping to a single picture of the first twin. "This is Hallie Willow Harris. She's doing well, they say we can probably take her home soon. And this little one.." He quickly skipped to the next picture, since Willow had looked like she was about to pounce and start crying on him from the moment he'd said his daughter's name. "Is Amanda Tara Harris. She's gonna have to stick around here for a little longer, just until we're sure she can breathe properly on her own, but don't worry, she's a little fighter and.. Oof!"

Both Willow and Tara were hugging him tightly.

"Aww, Xander!" Willow sniffled, "You named them after us!"

"That's so sweet!" added Tara.

"Actually" said Xander, giving the wiccas a quick hug back before attempting to extract himself from their grip, "Anya named them. Not that I was against it or anything, but yeah, it was Anya."

"How is she?" asked Tara.

"Good" Xander replied. "She had a little guilty moment, but I managed to talk her down. She'll be fine once the twins get the all-clear. I should probably get back.. You guys are okay to have Jesse for a few days, right?"

"Sure" Willow nodded.

"Don't worry about Baby J, Xan-man" said Faith. "We'll take care of him."

"Thanks, guys" Xander smiled as he turned to leave.

"Give Anya our love!" Tara called after him.

"Will do!"

After calling Giles to inform him that he was now a Grandfather of five, the Scoobies gathered up the sleeping children and prepared to head home.

"Hey Faith, didn't you say you were going to stop calling Jesse 'Baby J' once he wasn't the baby anymore?" Buffy asked with a slight smirk.

"Oh yeah" The Dark Slayer frowned, as she scooped Sophie into her arms. While small for her age, the girl was still big enough now that only Faith (Or, when not Pregnant, Buffy, or Illyria if she'd been present) could carry her comfortably. "Shit, what am I gonna call him now?"

"Faith!" Buffy scolded, hands dropping to her stomach as if to cover the baby's ears.

"Oops. Uh, don't say that, Peanut.."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, back in the Neo-natal Ward, Anya had been moving back and forth between each of the twins, trying to give them both equal attention. Which, she realized, would have to be a forever kind of thing, and would include Jesse too. Oh boy, this multiple child thing was gonna be hard. Why did people have more than one kid? Anya had no idea.<p>

She was currently sitting by Amanda's crib, the smaller twin's tiny hand curled around her pinky, but her heart jolted when she heard Hallie begin to cry. Anya gently tugged her hand out of Amanda's grip and slid her chair over to Hallie's crib.

"What's wrong?" Anya was trying not to panic. "I don't know what to do, I hate this stupid humidi-crib.."

"I think she might be hungry" smiled the Nurse that approached, moving to get Hallie out. "Do you want to try breastfeeding?"

"I thought she had to stay in there" said Anya, confused.

"We still have to feed and change them, dear" The Nurse chuckled. "This one's healthy enough to be out for a little while. So, do you want to try?"

"Okay."

The Nurse placed Hallie in Anya's arms, and the baby's cries quieted slightly just from that simple contact with her Mother. The Nurse was saying something, but Anya wasn't really listening, having become too caught up in the moment of holding one of her daughters for the first time.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"Don't stress if she can't do it" The Nurse repeated. "Sometimes it's harder for preemies."

"Oh." Fortunately, there was no such problem. Little Hallie managed to latch on almost straight away. Anya grinned. "Not to worry. She's obviously very advanced."

"Obviously" The Nurse laughed. "I'll come back in a while to see how you're doing."

Anya grinned down at Hallie as she suckled, shifting her chair back closer to Amanda so the other baby wouldn't feel left out. She was grateful for the slight size difference between the twins, because she wouldn't have been able to tell them apart otherwise. They were definitely identical, sharing Anya's natural brown hair colour, and cute little button noses. And they were both named for people their Mother cared about.

"You have special names, Tiny Twin Humans." Anya knew that they couldn't really understand a word she was saying, but she felt like she had to tell them anyway. "Hallie was a demon. I know that sounds bad, but it's not. Mommy was a demon once too. Not all demons are bad. Hallie- her full name was Halfrek, but Daddy wouldn't have let me call you that, and it's not really a human name anyway.. wasn't really a bad demon. She only cursed people who neglected or abused their children. Which in hindsight, kinda raises the question of what the hell she was doing when your Daddy and most of your Aunties were growing up. But anyway" she smiled down at her eldest-by-a-minute daughter, "She was Mommy's friend when Mommy didn't have a lot of friends. Then she died because of something bad Mommy did. That's why I named you after her. And your middle name, Willow, is for your Auntie Willow, Daddy's best friend. She's Mommy's friend too, now. When you're older maybe I can tell you a few stories when we weren't so much. But we learned to get along, and I heard it was her idea for Auntie Faith to wish Mommy back to life, so without her, you wouldn't be here."

Baby Hallie had finished eating, so Anya covered herself, but she was not putting her down a second before she had to.

"And as for you" she shifted Hallie to one arm, putting the other back into Amanda's crib so the smaller twin could once again grip her pinky, "Amanda was a Slayer. She died in the same battle Mommy did. Mommy liked her. And Tara comes from your other Auntie. She helped get Mommy into Heaven, which I have to admit was a great effort considering she had three years of only mostly good to work with, balanced against my thousands of years of demon-ness. Also, one time she put the whammy on an evil Motorcycle Demon who tried to kidnap Mommy. That was cool."

"That's how you decided the names, huh?" Xander smirked as he returned, smiling as he spotted Hallie in Anya's arm, and Amanda's hand curled around her pinky.

"Yeah. That, and I was trying to go for a kind of 'strong women I know' theme, 'cause I want them to be strong.." She held Hallie out towards him. "You wanna hold her before the Nurse comes to put her back?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Xander grinned, taking the baby and cradling her against hi chest. "Hi, Hallie Willow! I'm your Daddy.."


	16. A Little Promise

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy. I do own Sophie, Lily, Jesse, and Echo.

* * *

><p>"They're really tiny" said Jesse, awestruck, as he gazed at his little sisters from his comfy spot in Anya's lap.<p>

"Mhmm." Three days had passed, so she no longer needed the wheelchair, but since she never left the Twins' side except to use the Bathroom, the Nurses had kindly set a chair by each crib.

"Was I that tiny?" Jesse asked. "Is that why you call me Tiny Human, Mommy?"

"Well, you were tiny, and that is why I called you Tiny Human" said Anya, "But Hallie and Amanda are even tinier, because they came out early."

"Oh." Jesse continued to look at his baby sisters. "Is that why they have to stay in those things?"

"Yes."

"So they can't come Home with you Tomorrow?" Jesse pouted.

"Well, the Doctors think Hallie might be able to" said Anya, feeling a lump in her throat at the thought of having to leave at least one, and possibly still both, of her babies behind when she was released the following day. "But Amanda has to stay here for a little bit longer."

Jesse slid from his Mother's lap and walked quietly over to Amanda's crib. Anya almost called him back, but seeing the way he reached in to tenderly brush his little sister's cheek made her stop herself.

"Hi, Amanda" he whispered. The tiny girl blinked at him and gurgled a little, seeming to recognize his voice. Jesse had loved talking to his little sisters while Anya had been pregnant with them. "Remember me? I'm your big brother, Jesse. You need to get big and strong so you can come home real soon, promise?"

Amanda gurgled some more, and reached out to curl her tiny hand around her brother's finger. Jesse beamed.

"See Mommy, she promises! Amanda's gonna be home with us before we know it!"

"Oh, Jesse" Anya sighed, "I really hope that's true.."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile in the waiting room, The other Scoobies, minus Xander, who was reluctantly working (with two new babies to provide for a month ahead of schedule, and medical bills, they needed the money), and Tara, who had volunteered to pick up Giles and Andrew from the Airport, were all patiently waiting for their turn to meet the new additions to the Scooby family. They'd decided to just go one at a time, to avoid crowding the NICU or overwhelming Anya, who was understandably rather sensitive at the moment. Of course, they'd let Jesse go to meet his little sisters first.<p>

As the wait grew longer, a certain pregnant Slayer began to shift uncomfortably in her seat.

"You alright, B?" Faith frowned.

"I'm fine" She forced a smile, and Faith's frown deepened.

"No you're not. Slayer bond, remember? What's up.. Oh, is it because you still hate Hospitals?"

"Kind of, but it's not just that" Buffy sighed, her hands drifting to rest protectively over her growing belly. "Being here, seeing everything that's happening with the twins.. It's making me think of all the things that could go wrong with our baby."

"Mm. I was thinkin' that too for a bit" Faith admitted. "But twins are usually always born early, so of course this was gonna happen soon for Anya and the Xan-man. We're only havin' one baby, B. You've been doin' everythin' right, eatin' healthy and keepin' yourself out of danger.."

"I suppose so.."

"And even if Peanut does decide to come along early for some reason" The Dark Slayer continued, linking her fingers with Buffy's, "Her Slayer blood gives her a leg up on Hallie and Amanda, recovery wise." The baby kicked beneath her Mothers' joined hands. "See? She agrees!" Faith grinned.

"Okay" Buffy admitted, laying her head on Faith's shoulder. "You're right."

Peanut kicked again.

"Sorry, you're both right" Buffy corrected herself as she glanced at her baby bump, giggling, before turning back to her Wife. "When did I become the one that needed reassuring all the time?"

"I don't know" said Faith, giving her a kiss. "But I kinda like it. It's about time I paid you back for all the times you've talked me through some emotional crisis."

"It hasn't always been me" Buffy smirked.

"Yeah, sometimes it's Sophie, or Tara.. Damn, I've had a lot of emotional crisises, haven't I?"

"Well, a lot of people broke you.."

"Lucky I had you guys to put me back together" Faith grinned, leaning in for another kiss.

"Mmhm."

At that moment, Jesse came back up the hallway, accompanied by a kind Nurse.

"Jesse!" Lily jumped out of her seat, rushing over to him. "Did you see the babies?"

"Uh-huh" The new Big Brother grinned, puffing out his chest proudly. "They're the most cutest babies ever! Mommy says someone else can come see them now."

"Okay" said Willow, looking around at the rest of the group, "Who wants to be first?"

"You go, Will" Buffy replied.

"Yeah" Faith agreed. "One of them is named after you."

"Alright then.."

* * *

><p>Willow made her way down the Hall, quietly stepping into the room and looking around until she found Anya, sitting between the two cribs holding her tiny baby girls.<p>

"Hey."

"Hey.." Anya looked up, meeting Willow's eyes briefly before turning her attention back to the babies.

"How are they doing?"

"Hallie's fine. Amanda's breathing a little better, but she still won't be able to come Home for another few days." Tears stung Anya's eyes. "I'm so stupid! If Id' just stayed home like I was supposed to.."

"No, Anya, don't beat yourself up over this" said Willow, pulling her friend into a hug. "We all make mistakes. I know that better than anyone."

"I just want them both to be okay.."

"They will be" Willow smiled. "They're fighters, just like their Mom."

"You think so?" asked Anya, finally letting a small smile spread over her own face.

"I know so" Willow replied.

"Thank you.. You can hold Hallie, when the Nurse comes back."

"Mmm.. Should I be upset that you used my name for the one who's also named after a demon?"

"Well, you were both evil.."

"Anya!"

* * *

><p>AN: Sooooo Sorry! I've been really busy this year, and kinda lost inspiration on this for a while. But I'm back!<p> 


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